Your Friday briefing: Covid protests on the rise in China

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ImageVideos showed workers protesting outside Foxconn's iPhone factory in central China.Credit... via AFP—Getty; via Reuters, via AFP—Getty

Covid anger grows in China

As China's strict Covid rules stretch deep into their third year, there are growing signs of discontent across the country. The challenge is a test of Xi Jinping's leadership.

At the Foxconn iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, thousands of workers clashed with riot police. Workers were complaining about a delay in paying bonuses as well as the company's failure to properly isolate new workers from those who tested positive. The new recruits were recruited after thousands of workers fled the Foxconn factory last month due to a Covid outbreak.

The unrest is spreading elsewhere . In Guangzhou, migrant workers broke into locked buildings to confront health workers and ransack supplies. Online, many raged after the death of a 4-month-old child. His father said the restrictions had delayed access to treatment.

Political fallout: Xi used heavy censorship and harsh penalties to silence critics, which which makes the public airing of grievances particularly striking. Many Chinese have questioned the need for the lockdown. The unrest underscores the pressing question of how Xi can lead China out of the Covid era.

Record cases: Covid outbreaks across the country have spiked the number of cases at an all-time high. The country reported 31,444 cases on Wednesday, surpassing a record set in April,